Register resetting means



Nov. 6, 1956 P. I OOSLI REGISTER RESETTING MEANS Filed Feb. 18, 1955 United States Patent 2,769,596 REGISTER RESETTIN G MEANS Paul Loosli, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to Sodeco, Societe des Compteurs de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland, a firm of Switzerland Application February 18, 1955, Serial No. 489,191

Claims priority, application Switzerland December 30, 1954 3 Claims. (Cl. 23S-144) My invention relates to an impulse meter or register settmg means of the type including a plurality of digit-carrying drums, each of which is associated with a return-tozero cam, and of pinions for the carrying over of the successive decimal figures from one drum to the next, which pinions are mounted on a common rocking member.

According to my invention, said impulse meter or register setting means includes a return-to-zero mechanism comprising hammers carried by a common support which is operatively connected with the armature of an electromagnet producing the return-to-zero movement; each of said hammers is located between an extension of the common rocking member and the cam of the corresponding digit-carrying drum in a manner such that, for one location of said armature, the hammers act on said extension and allow the engagement of the carrying over or transfer pinions with the digit-carrying drums while during the movement of the armature towards its other location, the hammers produce in succession a disconnection of the transfer pinions through a pivotal movement of the rocking member and then the return-to-zero of the digit-carrying drums.

I have illustrated by way of exemplification, in accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of my improved meter. In said drawings:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic partial side view of an embodiment of the meter of which certain parts have been removed.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through line II-II of Fig. 1, parts of which have been torn off.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through line III-III of Fig. 2.

In the example illustrated, the impulse meter or register setting means includes five digit-carrying drums or wheels 6 rotatably mounted independently of one another on a transverse spindle 7 carried by the two opposite side walls 8 of the casing of the machine. Each drum or wheel 6 is rigid with the return-to-zero cam 9. One of the side walls 8 carries inside a bearing 11 a horizontal stub-shaft 12 to which is pivotally secured a rocking member including two transverse flanges 13a and 13b. These two flanges are rigidly interconnected by a horizontal transverse spindle 14. The latter carries four digit-carrying over or transfer pinions 15 which are freely revoluble on said spindle 14 with the interposition however between them of spacers which are not illustrated. When transferring or carrying over a digit from one decimal order to the next, each transfer pinion 15 ensures the progression by IAO of a revolution of the digit-carrying drum 6 of the immediately higher decimal order for each revolution executed by it, the interconnection between such pinions and drums being well known in the art so that it is not necessary to describe it in the present specification.

Each of the transverse flanges 13a and 13b is secured through its upper end to an oblique bar 19 forming a transverse tail-piece or extension for said transverse flanges. The rocking member 13a-13b is urged into ICC rotation in the direction of the arrow F1 round the spindle 12 under the action of a return spring 20 fitted between the transverse flange 13a and the casing of the meter.

A first electromagnet 24 carried by an auxiliary frame 25 forming part of the meter is adapted to control a lever or armature 26 pivotally secured at one end to a stationary pin 27 and connected at its other end with a connecting rod 28 pivotally carried in its turn between the elements of a double bearing 29 secured to a rockable carrier 30. Said carrier 30 is provided at its ends with cylindrical recesses 31-32 inside each of which is fitted the terminal smooth cylindrical section of a screw 33 or 34 respectively, said screws being secured inside the corresponding walls 8 of the meter casing. The smooth sections 31-32 of these screws define together the pivotal axis for the carrier 30. The latter is provided with five return-to-zero hammers designated by the reference number 35. The operative end 35 of each hammer extends between the extension 19 of the rocking member and the cam 9 coaxially rigid with the corresponding digit-carrying drum 6. The lever 26 is urged upwardly by a return spring 37 which causes, when the electromagnet 24 is not energized, the operative ends 35 of the hammers to engage the transverse extension 19 so as to allow the engagement of the transfer pinions 15 with the toothed sectors on the digit-carrying drums 6.

The digit-carrying drum for the units, designated by 6a in Fig. 2, is controlled through the agency of a pinion 38 meshing with a toothed wheel 39 coaxially rigid with a star-shaped member 40 (Fig. 3) provided with ten teeth and revolubly mounted on a stationary trunnion 4l.

The frame of the meter carries a second electromagnet 42 the core of which acts at each taxation pulse on a blade or armature 43 adapted to rock round a spindle 44 carried by the frame of the meter. The blade 43 is rigid with a bifurcated lever, the ends of the arms of which are shaped as shown at 45 and 46 respectively so as to provide for a rotation through one half pitch i. e. through 1/20 of a revolution of the star-shaped member 40 in the direction of the arrow F3 for each half-oscillation of the system 43-4546 round the spindle 44 as well known in the art. The pivotal movement of the blade or armature in a clockwise direction is produced through the energization of the electromagnet 42 while the opposite, anticlockwise pivotal movement is produced by a return spring 47.

When the first electromagnet 24 is energized, the lever or armature 26 is drawn downwardly so that the carrier 30 and the hammers 35 rock in the direction of the arrow F4 round the trunnions constituted by the smooth cylindrical screw sections 31*32. During this movement, the ends 35' of the hammers release first the transverse extension 19 of the rocking member 13a-13b and the spring 20 makes then the latter rock in the direction of the arrow F1 so as to produce disengagement between the transfer pinions 15 and the digit-carrying drums 6. At the end of the movement of the armature, the hammer ends engage each the corresponding heart-shaped cam 9 whereby the different digit-carrying drums are returned to zero.

What I claim is:

l. An impulse meter comprising a casing, a system of coaxial digit-carrying drums revolubly carried inside the casing, a gear system including coaxial pinions adapted for a predetermined position of their axis with reference to the axis of the drums to control the relative rotary movement of the drums for the transfer of digit values between the successive drums, a common rockable member adapted to pivot round an axis parallel with the axis of the drums and revolubly carrying the ditferent coaxial Vwith each drum, a support adapted to rock round an axis parallel with that of the drums, a plurality of hammers corresponding to the different cams, carried by said support and the outer ends of which project each between the corresponding cam and the rockable member, and means adapted to shift the support into opposite directions of rotation to produce, when the support is shifted in one direction, a movement of the hammers towards the rockable member to urge the latter into the above mentioned angular position corresponding to the operative drum-controlling position of the pinions and, when the support is shifted in the other direction, to produce a movement of said hammers towards the corresponding cams to return the latter to zero with the drums and to simultaneously release the rockable member and-to thereby allow the pinions to move away from their operative position under the action of the elastic means acting on the rockable member.

2. An impulse meter comprising a casing, a system of coaxial digit-carrying drums revolubly carried inside the casing, each drum including a peripheral series of teeth, a gear including coaxial pinions adapted to engage said teeth on the drums and to control the relative rotary movement of the drums for the carrying over of digit values between the successive drums, a common rockable member adapted to pivot round an axis parallel with the axis of the drums and including a spindle coaxial with the pinions and on which the latter are revolubly carried to engage the teeth on `the cooperating drums for a predetermined position of said spindle round the axis of the rockable member and an elongated part parallel with the pivotal axis of the movable member and located on the side of last-mentioned axis opposed to the pinion-carrying spindle, `elastic means urging said rockable member away from the angular position for which the spindle carries the pinions in a position for which the latter enter their operative position with reference to the teeth of the drums, means controlling the rotation of the input unit drum of the drum system, a return-tozero cam coaxially rigid with each drum, a support adapted to rock round an axis parallel with that of the drums, a plurality of hammers carried by said support, the outer end of each vof which hammers projects in a radial plane with reference to said support between the corresponding return-tozero cam and the elongated part of the rockable member, and means adapted to shift the support into opposite directions of rotation to produce when said support is shifted in one direction, a movement of the hammers towards said elongated part to urge the rockable member into the above-mentioned angular position corresponding to the operative drum-controlling engaged position of the pinions and, when the supportV is shifted in the other direction, a movement of the hammers towards the corresponding cams to release the elongated part .and thereby disconnect the pinions from the drum teeth, last mentioned movement of the hammers producing a Yreturn-to- Zero movement of the cams and associated drums.

3. An impulse meter comprising a casing, a system of coaxial digit-carrying drums revolubly carried inside the casing, a gear system including coaxial pinions adapted for a predetermined position of their axis with reference to the axis of the drums to control the relative rotary movement of the drums vfor the transfer of digit values between the successive drums, a common rockable member adapted to pivot round an axis parallel with the axis of the drum and revolubly carrying the different coaxial pinions along an axis parallel with the pivotal axis of the roclrable member, said rockable member being adapted for a predetermined angular position round its pivotal axis to set the transfer pinions in their operative drum-controlling position, elastic means urging said rockable member away from said predetermined angular position, means controlling the rotation of the input unit drum of the drum system, a return-to-zero cam coaxiaily rigid with each drum, a support adapted to rock round an axis parallel with that of the drums, a plurality l,of hammers corresponding to the different cams, carried by said support 'and the outer ends of which project each between the corresponding cam and the rockable member, an electromagnet carried inside the casing, an armature controlled by the latter, elastic means urging the armature away from the position occupied by it when attracted by the energized electromagnet and into a released position and means i operatively connecting the armature with the support wherethrough said support is ladapted to be shifted into opposite directions to produce, when it is shifted in one direction, a movement of the hammers towards the rockable member to urge the latter into the above-mentioned angular position corresponding `to' the operative drumcontrolling position of the pinions and, when the support is shifted in the other direction, a movement of said hammers towards the corresponding cams to return the latter to Vzero with the drums and to simultaneously release the rockable member and to thereby allow the pinions to move away from their operative position under the action of the elastic means acting on the rockable member.

2,219,636 schwanz oct.'29, v1940 

